D I S S E C T I N G B U S I N E S S
Developments in the consumer brain health space
1 . The importance of data-led insights
With the rise in popularity of wearables – providing stats on everything from sleep , steps and heart health – having access to deep insights into your own health is fast becoming the norm . Technology can help people know what a ‘ healthy ’ personal baseline is for them ( maybe that ’ s getting a certain number of hours of sleep every night ) and flag when they are deviating away from that .
A key development in consumer brain health is the idea of a ‘ brain health ’ baseline too . MEG provides the opportunity to measure and understand the brain ’ s ‘ normal ’ in the same way , enabling people to track the impact of health changes on their brain and identify interventions that work best for them , whether that ’ s lifestyle changes or therapeutic intervention .
2 . Losing the distinction between mental and physical health
Have you ever felt stressed and wondered why you may feel nauseous , have chest pain or be fatigued ? If we think about how the brain controls our body and emotions it is clear to see how poor mental health can have a detrimental impact on physical health and vice versa . Losing the distinction between mental and physical health and having a greater understanding of how the lifestyle choices people make influence their brain health , enables us to better identify the cause of illness , inform therapeutic interventions and address health uniformly – which could help to delay the onset and progression of many neurological conditions .
3 . Identifying the link between lifestyle and neurological disease
Nearly all cancer cases can be attributed to environmental and lifestyle factors . It is common knowledge that our lifestyle choices impact the risk of illnesses like cancer – the same is true for the brain too . Research has uncovered that 40 % of the world ’ s dementia cases could be prevented with lifestyle changes , like reducing smoking and alcohol consumption and increasing social contact .
NEARLY ALL CANCER CASES CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS .
4 . It ’ s never too early to start looking after brain health
Early intervention is key to delaying the progression of neurological disease . Identifying changes in the brain early empowers people to act sooner and seek further advice .
While the idea of routine brain health assessments may seem daunting to some , it is important to note that cognitive decline is a significant concern as people age , and with neurological diseases being recognised as a global health challenge , looking after our mental well-being and cognitive performance is something we should all be considering .
The future of brain health
We can all expect to live longer , healthier lives than the generations that came before us . But , if current advances in brain health continue at today ’ s rapid pace , our children can expect to enjoy many years of complete cognitive function too .
MEG technology has the potential to transform our relationship with our brains , and it ’ s hugely exciting to see efforts to free it from the lab bench and bring it directly to the general public . There may not be a MEG scanner on every high street quite yet , but we are on our way to democratising access to a crucial piece of the brain health puzzle . �
About
Caitlin Baltzer completed her MBA and an MSc in Finance and Investing at the University of Buckingham . She met her co-founder Janne Huhtala – previously CEO of global brain imaging leader MEGIN – during her time as Vice President of Operations at functional brain imaging company Croton Healthcare . In 2020 , they co-founded MYndspan , a brain and wellness analytics startup , on a mission to increase the accessibility of MEG and empower people to take control of their brain health .
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